Massaro sisters crush homers, cherish time together as Triway softball advances to OHSAA state semifinals

MACEDONIA, Ohio – As Hanna Massaro rounded third base after hitting a 3-run homer in the sixth inning to give Triway a 5-1 lead over Archbishop Hoban in the OHSAA softball Division II regional final on Saturday, her teammates were waiting at home plate to mob her. Among those waiting was her older sister, Hailey.

“Whenever she came home, I was going to hug her and scream,” Hailey said. “I am still in shock. It was amazing.”

When Hanna stepped into the batter’s box at Nordonia High School, Triway led just 2-1 and the offense had been held mostly at bay by Hoban pitcher Faith Porter, who had given up just five hits through five innings. The younger Massaro got a pitch to her liking and launched a blast to left center to give the Titans some breathing room. 

Triway needed it as they held on for a 5-3 win to advance to the state semifinals.

“All I was looking for was a base hit to score at least one run because I knew we needed runs,” Hanna said. “She just threw me the perfect pitch.”

While Hanna was rounding the bases, Hailey couldn’t contain her excitement and was eagerly awaiting to get to her sister.

“It felt like I hit it because I was so happy for her,” Hailey said. “I was like ‘oh my gosh.'”

Once Hanna hit home plate and celebrated with her teammates, Hailey took a second to express to her sister how she felt.

“I was just like ‘I am so proud of you, this is your moment,’” Hailey said.

The moment in the sixth inning may have belonged to Hanna, but Hailey had a moment of her own in the second inning. With the game scoreless, the Ohio State University signee took a pitch from Porter and crushed a home run over the fence in left center to give Triway a 1-0 lead.

“It started in warmups. I felt really good, and something just felt different,” Hailey said. “I was like today is going to be a good day. I went up to bat looking for a hit and she threw it there.”

As Hailey made her way around the bases, she let out a scream rounding third and was met at the plate by a swarm of teammates the same way her sister would be just a few innings later. It was her emotion that got the Titans fired up.

“Her rounding third with all of that excitement just got us all hyped and excited,” Hanna said.

When you look at Hailey, you might not think power hitter. But there is a reason the 5-foot-4 senior has now hit eight homers for the Titans this season from the cleanup spot in the lineup.

“I practice form, form, form,” Hailey said. “I have power and I am pretty strong, but my form is right there. That’s all I focus on.”

Her form has led to her hitting .550 on the season, including two hits on Saturday. Both hits were hit solidly, as she lined a single to left in the fourth inning along with her second inning homer.

“Her swing is just so smooth,” Hanna said. “It goes straight through the ball and then it just goes. Her hitting is just amazing. Everything is just amazing whenever she does it, no matter what.”

If it seems like Hanna is Hailey’s biggest fan and Hailey is Hanna’s biggest fan, it is because they are. The senior and the sophomore share an unbreakable bond and it goes beyond the field.

“Our rooms are close at home, we drive everywhere together, we go to Starbucks together,” Hailey said.

It’s at Starbucks where the girls show their differences. Hailey prefers to order an iced caramel coffee, while her younger sister says the strawberry acai refresher is “where it’s at.”

But that’s a minor disagreement. The 5-foot-9 Hanna says that despite being the taller of the two sisters, she looks up to Hailey.

“I always look up to her,” Hanna said. “She is my bigger sister, and she will always be my bigger sister.”

That doesn’t mean Hanna never reminds the older sister which one of them is the bigger of the two. After Hailey said that Hanna “can be feisty,” Hanna laughed and agreed.

“Oh yeah, I can be very intimidating,” Hanna said.

Hailey nodded in agreement.

“She scares me,” Hailey said.

And then the two got serious again when thinking about their upcoming trip to Firestone Stadium in Akron for the state tournament, where the journey for the Massaro sisters as high school teammates will come to an end.

The two years they have had together in Triway uniforms is one they have both treasured.

“Every moment we have together, we cherish it," Hanna said. "You won’t get it back again."